Adjustable holder for dental impression trays



Dem-17, 1935. 1.. KALVIN 2 ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR DENTAL IMPRESSION TRAYS Filed. Jan 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Dec. 17, 1935. A V 2,024,52

ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR DENTAL IMPRESSION TRAYS Filed Jan. 25, 1933 2 Sfieets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M KM BY Patented Dec. 17, 1935 ADJUSTABLE PATENT OFFICE HOLDER FOR DENTAL llVIPRESSION TRAYS Louis Kalvin, New York, N. .Y.

Application January 25, 1933, Serial No. 653,387

8 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a holder or support for trays used in taking dental impressions. The trays with which the holder is intended primarily to be used are of a yielding construction, such as sized buckram or similar woven fabric, admitting of a certain amount of adjustment in width so as to fit them to different patients.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a holder of such trays which will be adjustable so as to hold the trays in the form or shape to which they have been fitted for the particular patients being treated. With this object, in view, the construction comprises essentially in its principal form a base member,

with respect to which two side members are pivotally movable into independently variable angles with respect to the base member so as to conform with different Widths to which the tray may have to be adjusted. The base member and the two pivotally mounted side members are preferably provided with separate tray-engaging prongs or lips which can be independently fixed in the respective parts of the tray to firmly hold the latter in the position to which it is adjusted. These gripping members are self-locking in character so as to remain closed after being applied to the tray, but can readily be manually opened for the purpose of releasing the tray when desired. It will be understood that the tray forms a support for the plaster impression, and would not require the support of the tray holder after the initial setting of the plaster has occurred.

Certain features of the invention are applicable to partial trays of various shapes and sizes, in which the base or front portion alone, or either of the side members alone, may be required. Certain illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tray holder with a tray mounted therein.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tray holder 7 one of the side members and the front or base member, in which it is pivotally mounted.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective of the side member or arm in an inverted position.

Figure i is a diagrammatic top plan View, illustrating the adjustment of the side arms to fit the (Cl. 32-17) I tray to different widths, the tray illustrated in this figure being the tray as used for taking an upper impression. A

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, illustrating the adjustment of a tray as used'for 5 taking a lower impression.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a support for a tray for taking a partial impression, and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the arm'of the tray shown in Figure 9, illustrating a type of 10 grip which may advantageously be employed in the holding of a tray for the taking of partial impressions.

Referring to Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, the base member or front portion of the holder comprises a plate or handle having formed on its upper surface near the inner edge an arcuate or curved flange 2!. This flange constitutes a front wall, against which the front of the impression tray 22 is to be held. The underside of the plate 20 is 20 provided with the front and rear perforated lugs 23' and 24, through which passes a sliding hook member 25 which is bent upward into the end hook 26 on its inner end, and is threaded at 21 along its outer end to be engaged by a thumb 25 nut 28 for the purpose of drawing the hook member forward to engage in the front portion of the tray 22. Pointed screws 29' are preferably threaded into the flange or wall 2! on the upper portion of the base member soas to project in- 30 wardly and engage the tray from the front. A ball or head 30 may be secured on the outer end of the slide member 25 to prevent the thumb nut 28 from accidentally running off the threaded. end of the slide member. Any of the pointed screws 29 may be withdrawn into the wall 2| when not required.

With the construction thus far described, it will be apparent that the front or intermediate portion of the tray 22 may be securely fixed 40 in position on the base member.

At either side of the inner portion of the base member 20 is provided a slotted extension or enlargement 3|, the slot 32 of which provides upper and lower bearing surfaces for the side members which are pivotally mounted therein, as will be described.

Referring more particularly to Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that each side member comprises an arm 33, the inner end of which is perforated at 3.5 and slotted at 35 to admit of the arm member 33 being slipped over the flattened pivot stud 36 when in the proper angular position to bring the slot 35 into registry with the narrow dimension of the pivot 36. This enables the side member to be readily attached to or removed from the base member when desired, and prevents the accidental detachment thereof at any time when the side member is in a normal operating position. By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, this feature will be clearly apparent. One edge of the slot 35 is preferably sprung slightly out of the plane of the other edge so as to provide a slight binding or frictional tendency by which the side member will normally remain in the particular angular position to which it has been set with respect to the base member. Each side arm 33 is provided in the embodiment being described with a pair of clamp arms 31, 31 which are pivotally mounted in the side arm 33 by means of the pivot screws 38, 39 (see Figures 5 and 6). These clamp arms 31, 3! are mounted on the under surface of the side arm 33, and have upturned extensions 40, 41, in which are mounted the screw pins 42, and 43 to embrace the rear portion of the tray between palatal arch 22 and cheek wall 22 (Figure 1). In the closing of the clamp members 31, 3'! upon the tray, the members slide upon the face of side arm 33, and the closing motion is imparted to them by sliding rearward a sleeve 44 which encloses the arms 31', 31 and is provided with a flange 45 for engagement by the thumb or finger. This sleeve member 44 frictionally remains in a position to which it has been set, due to the spreading tendency imparted to the clamp members by the resilience 'of the tray. A spreading lug 46 is mounted under the sleeve member 44 and has an extension into the space between the clamp members, so that upon sliding the sleeve 44 forward the clamp members are opened. It will be understood that this construction requires the shaping or inclination of the inner and outer edges of the clamp members with the proper curvature or inclination with respect to the location of the pivots 38, 38 to effect these functions, and also that there must be a slight lost motion between the disengagement of the clamp members from the spreader and their engagement by the closing sleeve, or vice versa, so that the clamps are freed from the one before being actuated by the other. 'These clamp members may further be provided with abutment extensions 41, 48 to limit their approach to each other.

By reference to Figure '7, it will be understood that an upper tray may be provided with a slit 49 extending longitudinally of the palatal arch so that the two sides may be forced inward and outward in shaping the tray to the particular patient. In the case of the lower tray, as illustrated in Figure 8, the widening or narrowing of the tray is, of course, directly possible, due to its bifurcated form.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the use of a single side member 56, fitted with clamp members 51, 52, closing sleeve 53 and spreader 54, similar in construction to that already described, when taking a partial impression with a partial tray such as, for example, 55. In this case a handle 56 may be pivotally mounted on the end of the arm 50 so as to be adjusted at an angular position with respect thereto. One of the clamp members, 5| in the example illustrated, is provided with a supplementary plate 51 which is hinged at 58 so as to rock upon the clamp member 5|, and is provided with two pins 59 which are suitably spaced apart so as to provide, in conjunction with the pin of the other clamp member 52, a three-point, self-adjusting connection with the tray 55. In this way the partial tray is firmly held against deflection in any di- 5 rection.

I claim:-

1. A holder for dental impression trays, comprising a base member and a pair of side members pivotally mounted thereon, said side mem- 10 bers having expansible and contractable clamps for securing the sides of the tray.

2. A holder for dental impression trays, comprising a base member having means to secure the front portion of a tray to be supported, and 15 means for engaging a side of the tray and holding it in variable angular positions with respect to the front of the tray.

3. A holder for dental impression trays, comprising a base member having a wall for abut- 20 ment by the tray to be supported, one or more prongs projectable through the rear of said wall to engage the tray, a sliding prong member projecting upwardly into the space at the rear of I said wall for engaging the tray behind the front 25 portion thereof and drawing it into abutment with said wall on the base member, and means for supporting the sides of the tray.

4. A holder for dental impression trays, comprising a base member having means for secur- 30 W ing the front of the tray in fixed position, a side; arm pivotally mounted on said base member and having pivoted clamp members for engagement of a side of the tray to be supported, and

a sleeve slidably mounted on said side arm and 35 and a spreader projecting from said sleeve into the space between said clamp arms to open them.

6. A tray support, comprising an arm having a pair of clamp members pivotally mounted thereon, a rocking plate mounted on one of said clamp arms, a prong fitted in each end of said 50 rocking plate to engage a tray wall at two points, and a prong mounted on the other clamp arm to engage the tray in a plane between the planes of said prongs on the rocking plate.

'7. A holder for dental impression trays, com- 5 prising a base member for supporting the front of the tray, side members for supporting the sides of the tray, clamps on said base member and said side members for holding the front and sides of the tray, and means for locking said 60' clamp members in tray-securing position.

8. A holder for dental impression trays, comprising a base member having a slotted rear portion, a pivot disposed in said slotted rear portion and a side arm having a perforation opening through an edge of the side arm to admit of the pivotal assembly of the side arm and base member in the slotted portion of the base member and their disassembly in an angular position beyond the normal angle of use. 70 4 LOUIS KALVIN. 

